Page 135 of Passed Ball

"Always so dramatic." Kristy scoffs. "But it seems you found what you were looking for, and it sure as hell wasn't me."

No, it wasn't, but telling her that won't do either of us any good. "We never would have worked. The fact that you're showing up here now, after six months, is proof of that."

"No, we wouldn't have. I would've hated this life." She glances at Vivienne's back and then picks up an envelope from the table, holding it out. "Call off your lawyer. I'm not going to contest terminating my rights."

I take it from her outstretched hand, sliding my finger through the seal and pulling out a thick stack of paperwork.

"Everything's signed and notarized. I'll show up to our hearing and leave with my life back. No more texts or tracking me down. I want to put this behind me and start over."

Her words cut like a knife. It's painful to hear how little she actually cares. But after today I can't say I'm sad she's walking away. There are no illusions left about Kristy or her intentions.

"All I wanted was stability for Holland." I clear my throat, trying to ease the ache there as the overwhelming emotion of all this being done washes over me. "Show up to court and you never have to hear from me again."

"Pay for my flight back here. You can start your happy little life and I'll find mine." The snark that I expect from Kristy coats every word and it makes me sad for her. I hope she finds what she's looking for someday.

Far away from me.

"My lawyer can coordinate everything, but you have to communicate with him," I say, slipping the signed paperwork into my back pocket to drop off with Collin.

With that, she turns on her heels, ducking between the parked cars before jogging back across the street where I lose sight of her.

As soon as she's gone, I run back to the car, pulling open the front passenger door. I'm prepared for an angry Vivienne, but I find her with Holland laying across her thighs, hand by her knees as they play the cutest game of peekaboo I've ever seen.

She turns in the seat, shifting Holland around and handing her to me. "That was not what I had in mind for my afternoon off of work. Are you okay?"

I step to the edge of the car and she lets her knees fall open, inviting me closer. "Yeah. Actually." I laugh, but it comes out hoarse. "She signed the paperwork to terminate her rights ahead of the hearing. Said she just wanted this to be over." I leave out the cruelness behind her words because it won't serve either of us.

Saying it out loud hits me hard. Relief pours from me in the form of a hot tear spilling down my cheek. Vivienne's soft hand cups my face, brushing it away with her thumb.

"That's good. Really good." The emotion chokes her too as she tries to stay strong for me.

"You don't have to hold back," I remind her. "Not with me."

"I'm glad she's gone. She's awful."

"She hasn't made things easy." He pushes a hand through his hair. "But I wouldn't change a thing. Not if it means giving up where we are today."

"The butterfly effect," she hums.

"The butterfly effect," I repeat. "She brought me the two best things in my life and taught me a lot about not settling.

I'm not settling anymore and I'm not letting Vivienne settle either. We are both getting the lives we deserve.

Chapter 59

Vivienne

"This is very sneaky. I'm proud of you," Tenley says when she lets me in the front door of Xavier's house. He's in Cleveland and doesn't know I'm here today. After everything that went down with Kristy, I wanted to do something for him. He's always taking care of me and doing something for him is overdue.

"It's just a little redecorating. It's not like I'm burglarizing the place," I say, lifting the bag of picture frames. After I found the pictures in a drawer last week, I got an idea that I haven't been able to put to rest.

Tenley arches a brow. "A little redecorating, my ass. You're peeing all over him and this baby."

"Ew. Am not."

"You so freaking are. This is you making your mark, in her nursery no less, and a week after Kristy showed up. You love him."

The rush of heat is unmistakable. Tenley takes the flush crawling up my chest as confirmation. "Oh my god. I'm right, and my plans worked."

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